I remember when my high school changed from a grass field to a turf field. There were a lot less ankle and foot injuries because the field was flat and always maintained since it's artificial. Using old cut up tires in conjunction with the turf doesn't have any more of a negative effect on the body than drinking diet sodas or laying on a tanning bed. Correlation does not mean causation, and any of the tests results that show rubber causing cancer are no more than a correlation. Web Link

How hilarious -- a sales pitch disguised as a comment.

Pathetic.

Sounds a bit like Alar and Red Dye #5....in that there is exactly NO science to support any restriction on the product.

Let's compare the relative known environmental & health risks of the pesticides and fertilizers used on grass athletic fields vs that of field turf. Then compare the relative frequency and severity of musculoskeletal injuries incurred by youth athletes on the two respective surfaces.

...and I've no dog in this fight but it shouldn't go without saying that the field turf is made from post-consumer recycled materials which otherwise might wind up in a landfill.

Woops...hit submit too quickly. I forgot to add this:

Web Link

How much water are we pumping to irrigate athletic fields in Mountain View? I'm guessing that field turf uses far less of this resource.

All I know is that a lot of schools are jealous of our football field at MVHS.

Even I'm jealous because we didn't have it when I was there.

There are huge probles with exposing kids to crump rubber. See the recent SF Chronical article for reference.
Web Link

“The EPA made a mistake in promoting this. That’s my personal view,” said Suzanne Wuerthele, a former EPA toxicologist who is now retired. “This was a serious no-brainer. You take something with all kinds of hazardous materials and make it something kids play on? It seems like a dumb idea.”

No kid should be exposed to the components that make crumb rubber.


"University of Washington assistant soccer coach Amy Griffin points to her list of cancer-stricken athletes as reason enough for concern. Eighty-two of the 126 athletes on her list are soccer goalies, players who were constantly diving into the synthetic turf.

“Goalkeepers are in this stuff all the time,” Griffin said. “Generally, during training, there are plenty of drills that you dive and save ball after ball after ball. You never really leave the ground.”

At first, in 2009, Griffin said she thought it was a strange and sad coincidence that she knew two goalies diagnosed with cancer. Then Griffin heard of more players."

Not all fields have crumb rubber though...

@healthhazard

correlation =/= causation

The "fear that it might be bad" =/= is bad.

The amount of VOC's being outgassed from old, recycled tires is minimal at best and the MSDS for the material is far less frightening than that of the pesticides and fertilizers used on grass fields.